KR20060073936A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner sucking and discharging air into and from a room, comprising a suction nozzle (16) having a suction hole for sucking dirt adhered to an indoor unit (1), a suction/discharge device (30) disposed in the indoor unit (1), connected to the suction nozzle (16), and sucking air from the suction nozzle (16), and a discharge duct (17) having one end connected to the suction/discharge device (30) and the other end allowed to communicated with the outside of the room. Since dirt in the indoor unit (1) can be automatically discharged to the outside of the room, dirt cleaning operation must not be performed by a person and maintenance-free can be realized.

Description

Air Conditioner {AIR CONDITIONER}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of automatically cleaning an air filter. Moreover, the air conditioner which concerns on this invention is applicable also to the apparatus installed in the environment which can be exhausted outside other than an air conditioner.

After cooling or heating the air sucked by the blower fan in the heat exchanger, the air conditioner that blows the room is equipped with an air filter at the rear side of the suction unit to prevent dust from floating in the air from entering the indoor unit. . When dust adheres to this air filter and accumulates, air resistance is increased, and therefore, the air filter is generally attached because the COP [grade factor = (cooling capacity / required power)] of the indoor unit of the air conditioner is lowered and power consumption is increased. It is detachably configured to clean the dust.

However, in the air conditioner in which the air filter is detachably configured as described above, the air filter is separated from the indoor unit of the air conditioner at a relatively short period according to the frequency of use of the air conditioner to remove dust adhered by water or a vacuum cleaner. There is a problem that it requires maintenance to clean, and it takes a lot of trouble and time.

In order to cope with this problem, an air filter device 50 as shown in Figs. 13 and 14 is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-99479.

The air filter device 50 is provided with a strip-shaped air filter 51 from the rear surface of the suction portions 57 and 58 between the feeding and winding shafts 52 and 53 disposed at the upper and lower portions of the indoor unit, respectively. The air filter 51 is configured to be movable up and down by rotating one of the shafts 53 by the motor 54 or the like. And the cleaning brush 55 which cleans the dust adhered to the air filter 51 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end part of the arrangement location of this air filter 51, and below this cleaning brush 55, The dust box 56 which collect | recovers the dust scraped off by the cleaning brush 55 is provided.

According to the air conditioner provided with this air filter device 50, by performing a predetermined operation to drive the air filter driving motor 54, the air filter 51 with dust is wound up and the air filter 51 is cleaned. Since the operation is performed, troubles such as removing the air filter 51 and washing with water can be omitted.

However, according to the air conditioner provided with the air filter device 50 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-99479, the cleaning operation of the air filter 51 is automatically performed so that trouble can be omitted. The dust collected at 56 must be cleaned by a person, and requires regular maintenance such as cleaning work of the dust box 56, and there is a problem that labor and time are required for this maintenance.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an air conditioner that sucks and discharges indoor air, and includes an intake nozzle having a suction hole for sucking dust attached to an indoor unit, installed in an indoor unit, and connected to the intake nozzle, And an exhaust duct connected to the intake and exhaust device and one end connected to the intake and exhaust device.

According to this configuration, by operating the intake and exhaust device, dust adhering to the indoor unit is sucked together with the air into the suction nozzle through the suction hole, and the dust sucked into the intake and exhaust device from the suction nozzle is discharged together with the air through the exhaust duct to the outside. . As a result, dust attached to the indoor unit can be automatically discharged to the outside, and maintenance free can be realized by preventing people from cleaning the dust.

In addition, the present invention provides an intake and exhaust device in the side of the indoor unit, the intake and exhaust device is a centrifugal intake fan rotated by an intake and exhaust motor, a casing for accommodating the intake and exhaust fan, and a casing on the wind up side of the casing. The suction cover has an integrally installed suction cover, and the suction cover is formed such that the connection port of the suction duct connected to the suction nozzle and the suction port to the suction fan are opened to face one side, and viewed from the side, the outer circumferential portion of the suction duct connection port and the suction valve It is characterized in that the outer circumferential portion of the suction port to the fan is formed in a smoothly connected flow path shape.

Thus, by using a centrifugal intake and exhaust fan in the intake and exhaust device, it is possible to achieve low noise, and a suction cover is integrally provided with the casing on the upper side of the casing, and the suction cover is connected to the suction duct. And the inlet to the intake and exhaust fan are opened to one side, and when viewed from the side, the inlet duct is formed into a flow path shape in which the outer periphery of the inlet duct connection and the inlet to the intake and exhaust fan are smoothly connected. The air containing the dust of the dust is sucked into the casing at a good flow rate in the suction cover and the suctioned dust is sucked into the casing without remaining in a part of the suction cover and is discharged to the outside well.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the casing and the suction cover are formed side by side in the indoor unit, and are formed in a flat shape with a small thickness in the horizontal direction while being installed in the vertical direction and the depth direction.

By this configuration, the casing and the suction cover can be arranged so as not to protrude from the flow path for performing heat exchange in the indoor unit and cause trouble, and to accommodate the casing and the suction cover compactly, furthermore, The indoor unit can be minimized in size.

The present invention is also characterized in that an opening for ventilation is formed in the suction cover, and an opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening for ventilation is provided.

With this configuration, when the ventilation opening of the suction cover is opened, the air in the room introduced into the indoor unit from the ventilation opening is sucked in and is discharged from the exhaust duct to the outside by the intake and exhaust device. This makes it possible to discharge the air, which is contaminated indoors, to the outside and to ventilate it. At this time, air is sucked and exhausted from two positions of the suction nozzle and the suction opening of the suction cover, so that the load on the centrifugal fan can be reduced compared to the case where the air is sucked and exhausted only from the suction nozzle, and the amount of ventilation air can be increased. have.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the ventilation opening is formed on the suction cover.

According to this configuration, since the ventilation opening is at the upper part of the suction cover, the ventilation air flows from the upper part of the suction cover to the longitudinal direction across the casing of the centrifugal fan, and the dust or the like contained in the ventilation cover is removed from the suction cover or the casing. There is no stay. Therefore, the flow path of the suction cover and the casing can be narrowed to prevent increase in the ventilation resistance, and a good suction state can be maintained.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the rotational speed of the centrifugal fan is changed at the time of the suction operation to close the ventilation opening to suck in dust and the ventilation operation to open the ventilation opening to suck the air in the room. do.

According to this structure, the optimal amount of exhaust air and the amount of ventilation air in each case at the time of a suction operation and a ventilation operation can be implement | achieved.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the air filter is disposed on the suction part of the indoor unit, and the suction nozzle is configured to be movable in the lateral direction along the air filter over the wind-up side surface of the air filter.

According to this configuration, by operating the intake and exhaust device while moving the intake nozzle along the wind-up side of the air filter, dust adhered to the air filter is sucked together with the air into the intake nozzle through the intake hole, and is sucked into the intake and exhaust device from the intake duct. Dust with the air is discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct. As a result, the dust of the air filter can be automatically discharged to the outside, so that a person can not clean the dust, and maintenance-free can be realized. Further, the air filter can satisfactorily suck in the dust of the air filter even when the air filter has a curved portion or a release portion when viewed from the side.

The present invention is also characterized in that the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan is a sirocco fan.

According to this configuration, by using a sirocco fan known as a fan of high air volume and low noise type, the intake / exhaust apparatus can be miniaturized and low noise can be obtained even by rotating at high speed.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan is a radial fan.

According to this configuration, the radial fan can realize low noise even when the load applied to the radial fan is greater than that of the sirocco fan, so that the operation noise of the suction exhaust device when removing dust from the air filter can be reduced.

According to the present invention, the dust attached to the indoor unit can be automatically discharged to the outside, and the cleaning operation of the dust is not performed by a person, so that maintenance-free can be realized. In addition, a centrifugal intake and exhaust fan having a built-in intake and exhaust motor is used, or a suction cover is integrally provided with the casing on the upper side of the casing, and the suction cover is connected to the suction duct and a suction port to the centrifugal fan. By forming it on one surface side, the intake / exhaust apparatus can be compactly constructed, and the dust can be discharged to the outside well without retaining the dust in the suction cover or the casing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front external view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in a 1st Example of this invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 1 of the indoor unit.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 of the indoor unit.

4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the air filter of the indoor unit and its cleaning mechanism.

5 is a simplified side view of the intake and exhaust device installed in the indoor unit.

6 is a perspective view of the same intake and exhaust device.

7 is a schematic front sectional view of the same intake and exhaust device.

8 is a side sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a perspective view of an intake and exhaust device of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

10 is a schematic front sectional view of the same intake and exhaust device.

11 is a diagram conceptually showing an intake and exhaust device and a control unit in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a side sectional view of an intake and exhaust device of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the structure of the air filter and its cleaning mechanism in the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described, referring drawings.

(First embodiment)

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner is installed in the support frame 2 which forms both a side part and a bottom part, the front part, and the upper surface part part of the indoor unit 1. And an air filter 8 in which a plurality of mesh-shaped filter portions 8a are inserted into the filter frame 8b, and an outer panel 4 provided to be opened and closed in front and above the air filter 8. ), The main outer shell portion is constituted. The suction part 5, 6 which inhales indoor air is formed in the upper surface part and the front part of the outer panel 4, respectively, and the extraction part 7 is formed in the lower front. An air passage connecting the intakes 5 and 6 and the outlet 7 in the indoor unit 1 includes a heat exchanger 9 consisting of the air filter 8 and two heat exchangers 9A and 9B. The blowing fan 10 which consists of a cross flow fan is arrange | positioned. And the air sucked in from the suction part 5, 6 by the blowing fan 10 passes through the air filter 8, is cooled or heated in the heat exchanger 9, and is taken out from the blowout part 7. Moreover, one heat exchanger 9A is disposed over the front of the blower fan 10 so as to surround the blower 7, and the other heat exchanger 9B is rearward from the top of the blower fan 10. It is arranged over. A rear guider 11 is provided in the vicinity of the rear surface of the indoor unit 1, and a stabilizer 12 is provided in the drip tray plate 13 so as to smoothly blow out the air by the blowing fan 10. It is installed at the end of the). In addition, 14 is a wind direction change wing.

As also shown in FIG. 4, near the side surface in the indoor unit 1, the intake / exhaust apparatus 30 for drawing in and sucking out the dust adhered to the air filter 8 is provided. The suction nozzle 16 is connected to the suction side part (suction duct connection port 31) of this intake and exhaust device 30 via a suction duct 15 in the form of a concertina. An exhaust duct 17 whose front end communicates with the outside is connected to the blowout side portion (exhaust duct connecting port 32) of 30).

The suction nozzle 16 is formed in the shape provided in the depth direction and the vertical direction so that it may face the wind-up side surface of the air filter 8, and the inner end part and the lower end part of the filter frame 8b of the air filter 8 are carried out. It is inserted into the guide grooves 8c and 8d formed in the upper inner end part or the lower end part in (), and is guided so that it can move left and right in the attitude | position along the wind-up side surface of the air filter 8. Further, the lower part of the suction nozzle 16 is screwed to the screw shaft 18 arranged to extend left and right, and the screw shaft 18 is connected to the nozzle driving motor 21 through the transmission gears 19 and 20. The suction nozzle 16 is moved left and right by driving by.

On the surface which faces the air filter 8 in the suction nozzle 16, the some suction hole 16a is formed in a line from the upper surface part of the air filter 8 to the front part, and the intake and exhaust device 30 mentioned later By the suction operation, the dust of the air filter 8 can be sucked from each suction hole 16a.

The suction duct 15 which connects the suction nozzle 16 and the suction duct connection port 31 of the intake and exhaust device 30 is bent partially so that the intake and exhaust device 30 is irrespective of the position in the left and right directions of the air filter 8. The suction flow path for the furnace is formed well.

5 to 7, the intake and exhaust device 30 includes a centrifugal intake and exhaust fan 34 rotated by the intake and exhaust motor 33, a casing 35 containing the intake and exhaust fan 34, and The suction cover 36 provided integrally with the casing 35 on the wind-up side of the casing 35, and the mounting substrate 37 provided with the casing 35 and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the intake and exhaust device 30 (casing 35 and the suction cover 36 of the intake and exhaust device 30) is located in the up and down direction and the depth direction in the side part inside the indoor unit 1. While being provided in series, they are formed and arranged in a flat shape with a small thickness in the left and right directions. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5-7, the suction cover 36 has one surface of both the suction duct connection port 31 connected to the suction duct 15 and the suction port 38 to the intake and exhaust fan 34 on one side. It is formed so as to open toward the side, and viewed from the side, a flow path shape in which the outer circumferential portion 31a of the inlet duct connection port 31 and the outer circumferential portion 38a of the inlet port 38 to the intake and exhaust fan 34 are gently connected. (For example, the crankshaft which saw the crankshaft which connects the piston of various engines from the side) is formed. In addition, although this 1st Example showed the case where the outer peripheral part 31a of the suction duct connection port 31 and the outer peripheral part 38a of the suction port 38 to the intake and exhaust fan 34 are linearly and smoothly connected, it is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be smoothly connected by a curve. In the first embodiment, in the suction cover 36, the flow path from the suction duct connection port 31 to the suction port 38 to the intake and exhaust fan 34 extends upwardly inclined, and the casing 35 The exhaust port provided in the lower part extends in the original direction, and forms the exhaust duct connection port 32.

In this configuration, when the air filter 8 is cleaned, a predetermined operation is performed (for example, by pressing a cleaning button), and the air intake and exhaust motor 33 and the nozzle driving motor 21 are performed. Drive. Then, in the state where the intake and exhaust device 30 is operated, the suction nozzle 16 moves along the wind-up side of the air filter 8, and at this time, the dust attached to the air filter 8 is sucked together with the air. The dust is sucked into the suction nozzle 16 through the hole 16a, and the dust sucked into the intake and exhaust device 30 from the suction duct 15 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct 17 together with the air. Thereby, the dust of the air filter 8 can be automatically discharged | emitted to the outdoors, and a dust free operation is not performed by a person, and maintenance free can be implement | achieved.

Moreover, according to the said structure, it can be made low noise by using the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan 34 which sucks in from a center part and exhausts from an outer peripheral part using centrifugal force as the intake and exhaust device 30. In addition, the suction cover 36 is integrally provided on the wind-up side of the casing 35, and the suction cover 36 is provided with one suction port 38 to the suction duct connecting port 31 and the suction fan 34. The dust from the suction duct 15 is formed by opening a hole in the air inlet, and forming the outer circumferential portion of the suction duct connection port 31 and the outer circumferential portion of the suction port 38 in a flow path shape. The contained air is sucked into the casing 35 to be discharged to the outside with good flow velocity in the suction cover 36 and without the dust sucked from the air filter 8 remaining in a part of the suction cover 36. do.

Further, the casing 35 and the suction cover 36 are formed in a flat shape with a small thickness in the left and right directions, or the intake and exhaust motors 33 are incorporated in the intake and exhaust fan 34 so as to be disposed. It can be accommodated compactly in the side part of 1), and the size of the indoor unit 1 can be restrained to the minimum without protruding in the flow path which heat-exchanges and causing trouble.

In addition, while using a sirocco fan, which is known as a fan of high air volume and low noise type, as the intake and exhaust fan 34, the intake and exhaust device 30 can be miniaturized, and low noise is achieved even at a high speed rotation, so it is suitable as the indoor unit 1. .

In addition, the suction nozzle 16 is configured to be movable in the lateral direction along the air filter 8, so that the air filter 8 is free of dust in the air filter 8 even when the air filter 8 has a curved portion or a release portion. Good inhalation can be achieved.

(Second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner differs from the indoor unit 1 of the said 1st Example by the following points. That is, in the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, the ventilation opening part 40 is formed in a part of the suction cover 36 of the intake / exhaust apparatus 30 here, and the ventilation opening part 40O The opening and closing body 41 which opens and closes) is provided. The opening and closing body 41 is rotated by the opening and closing drive means 42 provided with an opening and closing motor or the like.

In this second embodiment, the opening and closing body 41 is substantially horizontal to close the ventilation opening 40, and the opening and closing body 41 is rotated inclined upwardly from the closing position to open the ventilation opening ( 4O) is rotated over an open position for opening. In addition, the rotation control signal at the time of driving the intake / exhaust fan 34 is the same in any case of the opening and closing body 41 in the closed position and the open position.

By this structure, when the drive means 42 for opening and closing is rotated, the opening-closing body 41 is rotated to an open position, and the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36 is opened, and the indoor unit from this ventilation opening 40 is opened. (1) The indoor air introduced into the gas is sucked in, and the air sucked into the casing 35 from the suction cover 36 by the intake and exhaust fan 34 of the intake and exhaust device 30 is discharged from the exhaust duct 17 to the outside. do. In this way, for example, indoor contaminated air can be discharged to the outside and ventilated.

At this time, since the air is sucked and exhausted from two places of the suction hole 16a of the suction nozzle 16 and the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36, the air is sucked and exhausted only from the suction nozzle 16. Compared to the case, the load on the intake and exhaust fan 34 is lighter, and there is an advantage that the amount of ventilation airflow can be increased.

Further, by providing the ventilation opening 40 at the upper portion of the suction cover 36, the ventilation air flows from the upper portion of the suction cover 36 so as to vertically terminate the inside of the casing 35 of the intake and exhaust fan 34. As a result, it is possible to prevent the dust and the like contained in the ventilation air from remaining in the suction cover 36 or the casing 35. As a result, the flow path in the suction cover 36 and the casing 35 can be prevented from narrowing due to the retention of dust, and the ventilation resistance can be increased, and a good suction state can be maintained.

In addition, although the ventilation opening part 40 can be provided in the front part or the back part of the suction cover 36, in this case, it is necessary to implement what kind of design, or to clean, so that dust may not remain inside.

In addition, according to the above structure, since one of the intake and exhaust devices 30 can perform both the suction operation and the ventilation operation, the storage space can be compared with the case where the intake and exhaust device for exhaustion and the intake and exhaust device for ventilation are respectively provided separately. In addition, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

11 is a diagram conceptually showing an intake and exhaust device in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner is provided with the control part 43 which controls the rotation speed of the intake and exhaust motor 33 which rotates the intake and exhaust fan 34. As shown in FIG. The control unit 43 closes the ventilation opening 40 to rotate the number of rotations of the intake and exhaust fan 34 during the suction operation in which dust is sucked in and in the ventilation operation in which the ventilation opening 40 is opened to suck air in the room. Controls to be different. For example, during the suction operation, air is sucked and exhausted from only the suction nozzle 16, and the intake and exhaust fan 34 is compared with the case of sucking and exhausting air from two places of the suction nozzle 16 and the ventilation opening 40. ), The load on the fan increases, so that the rotation speed of the intake and exhaust fan 34 is increased.

According to this configuration, the optimum amount of exhaust air and the amount of ventilation air in the case of the suction operation and the ventilation operation can be realized. Therefore, the dust of the air filter 8 can be sucked very well at the time of dust collection, and the indoor air can be sucked at an amount suitable for ventilation during the ventilation operation.

In addition, although the case where the rotation speed of the intake and exhaust fan 34 was set larger than at the time of a ventilation operation at the time of a suction operation was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, The total opening of the suction hole 16a of the suction nozzle 16 is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to set the optimal rotation speed respectively according to an area, the opening area of the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36, etc.

(Example 4)

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

12 is a side sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner, a radial fan is used as the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan 34. As shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, since the radial fan can realize low noise even when the load applied to the radial fan is greater than that of the sirocco fan, the operation noise of the suction exhaust device 30 when removing the dust from the air filter 8 can be reduced. .

In addition, when the intake and exhaust fan 34 is a centrifugal type such as a sirocco fan or a radial fan, there are a plurality of advantages in terms of high air volume, low noise, and miniaturization of the intake and exhaust device 30 as described above. It is also possible to use an axial flow fan, a four-flow fan, etc. other than a centrifugal type, without being limited to this.

In addition, although the case where the dust of the air filter 8 is removed by moving the suction nozzle 16 was demonstrated also in any of the above embodiments, it is not limited to this, but by increasing the suction force from the suction nozzle 16, the suction nozzle ( It is possible to remove the dust of the air filter 8 without moving the 16. In addition, it is also possible to suck out the dust attached to the indoor unit 1 and discharge it to the outside without installing the air filter 8. .

Claims (9)

As an air conditioner that inhales and exhausts indoor air; A suction nozzle having a suction hole for sucking dust attached to the indoor unit, An intake and exhaust device provided in the indoor unit, connected to the intake nozzle to intake air from the intake nozzle, and An air conditioner comprising an exhaust duct connected to the intake and exhaust device at one end and communicated to the outside at the other end. The method of claim 1, The intake and exhaust device is provided on the side part in the indoor unit, The intake and exhaust device has a centrifugal intake and exhaust fan rotated by an intake and exhaust motor, a casing for accommodating the intake and exhaust fan, and a suction cover integrally provided with the casing on the wind upside of the casing, The suction cover is formed such that the connection port of the suction duct connected to the suction nozzle and the suction port to the intake and exhaust fan are opened on one surface side, and the outer circumferential portion of the suction duct connection and the peripheral portion of the suction port to the intake and exhaust fan are viewed from the side. An air conditioner, characterized in that formed in a smoothly connected flow path shape. The method of claim 2, The casing and the suction cover are arranged in the up-and-down direction and the depth direction in the side part in the indoor unit, while being formed and arranged in a flat shape having a small thickness in the left-right direction. The method of claim 2, An air conditioner is provided in the suction cover, and an opening and closing means for opening and closing the ventilation opening is provided. The method of claim 4, wherein And said ventilation opening is formed in an upper portion of said suction cover. The method of claim 4, wherein An air conditioner configured to vary the number of rotations of the intake and exhaust fan during the exhaust operation to close the ventilation opening to suck in dust and during the ventilation operation to open the ventilation opening to suck indoor air. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Arranging an air filter in a suction part of the indoor unit, The air conditioner comprised so that a suction nozzle could be moved to a horizontal direction along an air filter over the surface of the air filter side of the said air filter. The method according to claim 1 or 2, An air conditioner, wherein the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan is a sirocco fan. The method according to claim 1 or 2, An air conditioner, wherein the centrifugal intake and exhaust fan is a radial fan.

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